The Game by Wolf Helser

8/8/2019 The Game by Wolf Helser

1/12

The Game

By WolfHelser

Glimmering like a silver stallion the motorcycle awaited its rider. The old man

walked toward the bike and placed his hat in the saddle bag and attached his walking

stick to the side of the bike. His game pieces were already in the bag because he never

went anywhere without them. It was a bright, warm day and the open road beckoned him

like a gypsy. He didnt really have anyplace to go but all the same he knew he had to take

the journey. And once everything had been packed he fired up the engine and sped down

the highway.

The old man rode down the road for a while till the view of a beautiful park

seemed to pull him over to rest. It was a nice park with lush, green grass and large,

majestic trees giving shade to tired wanderers. After cruising slowly around the park the

old man found several stone tables set in a small area, each with a tiled game board

embedded in the tabletop. The old man also noticed a large tiled area with chess pieces as

tall as his waist. He loved the grand scale of the game but his back wasnt in the mood to

move heavy game pieces throughout the day; that was a game for younger men and

women.

He parked the motorcycle nearby and pulled out his large brim hat to keep the sun

off him and his walking stick. He also pulled from the bag a collection of ornate chess

pieces and set them up on a table. He hadnt planned on playing today and he didnt have

a student to play against but he knew with a little patience the novice would show up,

they always did.


2/12

The door slammed as the young man walked out. It was just one of those days

where you wish you had never gotten out of bed. Stressed and confused he had decided to

go for a walk in the park to clear his head. The worry in his mind seemed to never relent

no matter how much he tried to relax. His girl wanted to talk which he knew was never

good news and his job was giving him a seemingly never ending ulcer of complaints.

Bills were piling up even though he spent far too much time at his workplace. It was just

one thing after another and he just wasnt sure what he was going to do with his life.

He felt lost and alone wandering down the small rock road. He grabbed the small silver

charm on his necklace and held it firmly in his hand, Help, please I dont know what

to do

Suddenly he tripped over a small rock and fell to the ground in a abrupt and rather

painful manner. Lying on the ground with his face in the grass he mumbled to himself. A

voice called out nearby and said Focus on the journey, not the destination because

otherwise yeah fall flat on your face and get grass up your nose. With this odd comment

the bewildered young man got up and looked toward the direction of the voice and seen

an old man sitting by himself at a chess table.

The old man said why dont you come over here and have a seat, maybe play a

game. but the young man simply smiled and said, No thanks, Im not really feeling up

to it. The old man smiled and retorted It will help you relax and focus, it is the game of

Kings you know. And the young man replied yeah, I know its just been one of those

days. And he relented and walked over to the old man and sat down at the chess table.


3/12

The old man looked down at the board and moved a pawn into play. He then

smiled to the young man and said The names Gangleri son, so what kind of troubles are

on your mind? The young man cracked a bewildered smile and moved his own pawn

into play saying Nice to meet you Mr. Gangleri. He looked at the old man still a bit

confused and asked Mr. Gangleri, Do I know you? Have we met before? Im not really

inin the habit of talking to strangers about my problems. The old man moved his next

piece and said without looking up at him Maybe son, we might have met before. You

never know. Just know Im a old man with a willing ear to listen and maybe a little

wisdom to help you out. The young man sat and pondered the old mans words for a

moment and then said Ok, Mr.Gangleri Ive nothing to lose I suppose, Ill tell whatever

you want to hear. Mr. Gangleri smiled just a crack and then said to him Well son, lets

start at the beginning. Its usually the best place. The young man sat back and rubbed his

chin as he thought about the beginning of his problems. Well he began, Its all because

of my job, you see I work for this corporation that makes formula for babies and I

recently found out purely by accident that my company has been saving money by

replacing the ingredients for the baby formula with substandard replacements that arent

FDA approved. I believe this formula could be harmful to babies over long term exposure

but if I blow the whistle on my company Ill lose my job, reputation with all my fellow

employees and friends, and the financial support I need to take care of my family.

Mr. Gangleri sat back and thought fro a moment while running his hands through his

white beard I can see now what troubles you son, and it reminds me of an old story I

know from long ago


4/12

Courage

Long ago in a small village in what is now modern day Germany lived a young

man named Hartmut. This young man had lost his family in a tribal war a long time ago

and was taken in my local blacksmith. The blacksmith was getting older and it wasnt as

easy to do the work he once did so he decided taking the young child in as an apprentice

would be helpful to his work. Truth was he had always wanted a son but never was able

to gain a wife. Also the young Hartmuts family was well loved in the village so when

they had been killed in the war the whole village had taken a bit of a parental role over

the lad as well.

Hartmut became a strong lad after working many hours each day helping out his

new father, Kuno. Kuno taught him everything he knew about blacksmithing, where to

find the raw ore and how to smelt it. Knowing the color of the metal in the fire and how

to mold it into anything he chose. Hartmut loved to work with his father even though it

was hard work because he found the whole process fascinating. Sometimes to pass the

time the two would sing songs of great heros of legend and the great deeds they did.

Hartmut always loved this and was thrilled whenever he got to hear a new tale. Often

when his father wasnt around he would use a rusty sword he had found against the evil

foes of Asgard that posed as column posts of wood or stacked hay bails and save the

whole village from the terrors of trolls and giants.

When his father didnt need his assistance in the forge he would send him on

errands in the village to buy bread or deliver some goods. While there Hartmut would


5/12

often help out others in the village building fences, harvesting the fields, or maybe just to

help catch an escaped pig from its pen. Whatever was needed he was willing to do

because after the loss of his mother, father, and brothers Hartmut had grown to love the

whole of the village as his family.

Then one day Kuno discovered that they were running low on ore and would need

to gather some more. Hartmut hearing this told his father to stay home and rest and that

he would go gather the ore himself. Kuno protested but eventually conceded and simply

told him not to gather anything from the north cave. It had become unstable and might

collapse easily. Hartmut heard his fathers warning and told him not worry. Hartmut then

picked up his bow and quiver in the hopes he might find something to eat while he was in

the outlands.

So Hartmut traveled out of the village towards the outlands where his father

taught him to gather the ore they needed. He wandered about looking around and found

small bits here and there. He would like to find something large to make his life easier

but if he only found the smaller ones it was better than none at all. After a while

Hartmuts stomach began to grumble and he knew he would have to catch himself a

dinner soon or go hungry till he returned home.


6/12

Gazing around the land much to his surprise and delight he saw a large rabbit

slightly hidden in a small shrub some distance away. He knew he would never catch it on

foot but with the luck of a good bowshot he wouldnt have to. He slowly pulled his bow

from his back and eased an arrow out of the quiver. Pulling the drawstring back he

quickly aimed for the small beast and let loose the arrow.

BAM!! The arrow struck true! A smile grew across the young man face because

he knew he would not go hungry tonight, then suddenly to his shock and dismay the

rabbit ran from its hidden spot with an arrow still lodged in it. Nono..no I cant lose

it now he thought. An like a bolt of lightning Hartmut chased after his dinner hoping to

catch it before exhaustion took him. Hartmut ran and ran and paid no attention to his

surroundings till he finally found the rabbit. It had finally died of its wounds and although

he was sorry he had to kill the animal for it meat, he was very happy knowing he would

have a dinner tonight.

Tired and exhausted sat down with his bag of ore and cleaned the animal. He built

a small spit and placed it on there and started a small campfire to roast it. He sang a song

of the old legends to entertain himself while the animal was cooking and the smell of the

cooking meat made his stomach all the more grumpy. Finally the rabbit was done and

Harmut feasted himself till he could not longer eat and lay against a large tree to sleep for

the night.


7/12

Suddenly Hartmut awoke to a loud noise and quickly kicked out his small

campfire so that he might be hidden in the darkness. He lay perfectly still listening

waiting and listening some more. What was that noise he wondered? And he heard a

voice, A low gravely voice, Then more voices. Slowly Hartmut moved closer to the

voices easing his way through the bushes and shrubs. He peered through the plant growth

to see an encampment of some twenty warriors around a campfire. Keeping very quiet he

listened to them talk and with hearing the name of his village realized that they planned

to sack the whole village in the morning.

Harmuts village was in trouble, although they did not know it yet. And he knew

it would take too long to get back to the village to try and warn anyone. The warriors

were great monsters of men and he knew that his village would be slaughtered if they

attacked. Harmut then knew in his heart, that he had to be the one to stop them. He had to

muster the courage to face these overwhelming odds and save his people. But what could

he do, just one man against so many fierce warriors?

Then it hit him, a plan. He knew right now many of the men were drunk and near

drunk so they wouldnt be so quick of wit but still more than a match for him with

swords. So he carefully climbed down to the encampment staying in the shadows and

looked for the small bags of gold each man carried. One by one he gathered them up and

placed them in his bag and then crawled out the encampment to a clearing.


8/12

He then took the biggest gamble and strode ran into the encampment full of

warriors acting as if he didnt know they where there. When one of the warriors jumped

up to see whom it was, he acted as a terrified peasant (which wasnt far from the truth).

The warrior demanded to know who he was and where he was going. I am a simple man

just traveling he said. Hartmut then dropped the small bag full of the warriors gold but

acted as if he had done it accidently. The warrior looked down and said Where did you

get so much gold fromsimple man! to which Hartmut replied in a terrified voice I am

a miner of gold sir and I will take you and your men to my mine if you will spare my

life.

The warriors laughed and then proceeded to follow Hartmut who was held at

sword point. Hartmut remembering his fathers warning lead then right into the north cave

that was known to be unstable and once all the warriors when in the cave Hartmut stole

the sword pointed at him and cut the few working supports of the mine. It collapsed in

and buried them all. Hartmut died that day but he died with courage and he died knowing

he had saved his new father and his village even if know on else knew.

HARTMUTMeans "brave mind", derived from the Germanicelementshard"brave, hardy" and muot

"mind, spirit".

KUNO (Father)Derived from Germanic kuni meaning "clan, family"


9/12

Thanks for the story Mr. Gangleri I think I see what you mean and Im going to

the authorities and tell them what I saw. And the young man got up from his chair

looking down at the chessboard; the old man had beaten him. Mr. Gangleri looked at the

young man, smiled and told him Ill be back here next Wednesday if you want another

try at my king

The young smiled and said I just might take you up that offer Mr. Gangleri and

he walked back toward his home. He thought about a lot of things during that walk and

about the story that Mr.Gangleri told him. And then it occurred to him how odd it was

that he was having so many issues and that this strange old man just seemed to be there

when he needed someone. Oh well, must just be some coincidence that he was there.

When he got home, his wife was there and he could tell that she had been worried

about him. So he walked in the door and just hugged her and gave her a kiss looking into

her eyes and comforted her so that she knew he was alright and that things would be ok.

She did feel better for the moment and he told her the old story about the old man and his

chess game in the park. She wasnt sure why but she seemed to naturally trust the

stranger her husband had met but he seemed more confident of himself and that was

enough for her. When he told her that he had planned to go back to the park the following

Wednesday to see him again she wasnt too surprised.

Later that night he had a long talk with his wife about his company and what he

had seen as well as what he had planned to do. He seen the nervousness in her eyes but

told her what they were doing was wrong and dangerous to a lot of children. She seen the


10/12

pure courage in his demeanor and knew his mind was set regardless of what would

happen to the family.

The next day he dressed and went to work like any other day but today he had

other plans as well. He knew he would need evidence of the companys wrongdoings so

he kept an eye out all day for anything that might help his cause. He didnt have much

luck finding anything but he would continue searching each day till he found what he

needed.

The following Friday he went through the same routine again just as he did so

many other times but today his ulterior motives paid off. He walked into an empty board

meeting room and found some leftover copies of memos. These memos very discreetly

told of the change of ingredients for the products and that is the proof he needed. He

gathered up everything he could find on the issue and very quickly stepped out of the

room and returned to his office.

He pondered there in his office, what his next move should be. Take the memos to

the press, consult a lawyer about the issue, or just try to go straight to the government.

After a bit of thinking he figured he should find out what his legal issues were first since

he had his family as well as himself to worry about. So he looked up some history of his

company and the various lawsuits that they had dealt with. Finding which law firms had

won and which had lost. After many hours he felt he had a found the ideal firm for him to

deal with and he called the offices to make a private appointment on Saturday.


11/12

He finished the rest of his day as if everything was normal and none of his

coworkers were any the wiser to him. He talked and laughed with them all day while

deep in his thoughts he was concerned for their lifestyle as much as his own family.

There was a very chance that what he was about to do could be crippling to the company

but he steadied and assured himself with the thoughts of the innocent children that were

in danger. It was a very long day for him for he had much on his mind even though no

one could tell from his expressions.

Saturday came and he went to the law firm with his wife. He didnt want her to go

but she had insisted to be a full part of his future plans and he knew well not to argue the

point with her, he wouldnt win. Her determination was something that he both loved and

hated about her as it was as strong and resilient as a steel bear trap.

Eventually they made their way to the lawyers office for the appointment. A

mere moment later he appeared out the tall oak doors and bade them enter the office and

have a seat in the luxurious chairs. They sat down together and over the next several

hours discussed who he was, what the job he had was, and what he had discovered about

his company. He showed the lawyer copies of the papers he had got from the board room.

He didnt feel comfortable bringing the real memos yet and the lawyer had assured him

that he completely understood and didnt mind this issue right now.

They discussed these issues over and over to fully realize the full implications of

what would happen if this was taken to court. Finally the lawyer told the couple that he

was glad that he had brought him the case and complemented him on his quick thinking

of coming to the law firm first. The lawyer also told them in the privacy of his office that


12/12

his wife had recently given birth to their first child and that this battle was very personal

to him, but he said not to mention this to anyone else as he might be taken off the case for

personal issues. The couple understood completely and they took their leave of the man

after their long afternoon. As they were driving home the young man decided to take his

wife to dinner, the children were with their favorite sitter so they were fine. His wife was

a little surprised but she figured it was so they could talk about things in private with each

other before anything was started.

Wednesday arrived and the young man had another long day of the same

old issues. But he looked forward to his talk and game with the old man. He wasnt sure

if Mr. Gangleri would be there but he had hoped he would be there. His talks with the old

man did seem to help him out a lot.

The Game by Wolf Helser

Documents

Transcript of The Game by Wolf Helser